China has reported 33 new Covid-19 cases on Jan 8, down from 53 reported a day earlier, the country's national health authority said.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that 14 of the 17 locally transmitted infections were in Hebei, the province surrounding Beijing which entered a “wartime mode” this week as it battles a new cluster of coronavirus infections.

Shijiazhuang, Hebei's capital, announced it would suspend service on its subway, according to Reuters.

Earlier this week, authorities banned people from leaving the city in an effort to curb the spread of the disease.